Needling apparatus

ABSTRACT

A guide sleeve for a roving or slubbing is mounted fixedly in a reciprocating needle support which, upon reciprocation, needles the roving fed through the guide sleeve to a non-woven fibrous web which moves transversely of the roving immediately adjacent one end of the guide sleeve.

United States Patent 1451 Aug. 8, 1972 Dilo [54] NEEDLING APPARATUS [72] Inventor: Richard Dilo, Eberbach/Neckar,

Germany [73] Assignee: Dilo Oskar KG, Eberbach/Neckar,

Germany [22] Filed: March 1, 197] [21 Appl. NO.Z 119,604

[30] Foreign Application Priority Data March 28, 1970 Germany ..1 20 14 970.6

[52] US. Cl. .l ..28/4 R [51] Int. Cl. ..D04h 18/00 [58] Field of Search ..28/4 R, 72.2 R

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS I 34,325 11/1868 Waring ..28/72.2R

2,314,162 3/1943 Reinhardt ..28l72.2 R x 3,391,436 7/1968 Fehrer ..28/4 R FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 1,913,128 10/1969 Germany "28/722 R Primary Examiner-Louis K. Rimrodt Attorney-Kurt Kelman 1511 ABSTRACT A guide sleeve for a roving or slubbing is mounted fixedly in a reciprocating needle support which, upon reciprocation, needles the roving fed through the guide sleeve to a non-woven fibrous web which moves transversely of the roving immediately adjacent one end of the guide sleeve.

3 Claims, 1 Drawing Figure 501917831 0 1 in w .l!

Illllmm NEEDLING APPARATUS The present invention relates to improvements in an apparatus for needling a roving or slubbing to a nonwoven fibrous web moving transversely of the roving or slubbing.

Conventional apparatus of this type comprises a needle support mounted for reciprocation towards and away from the moving fibrous web. The needle support has a head adjacent the moving web and a plurality of felting needles mounted on the needle support head and projecting towards the web. A shoe is fixedly or movably mounted between the needle support head and the moving fibrous web, the shoe being perforated to permit the felting needles to pass therethrough into the web upon downwardly reciprocation of the needle support. A perforated stitch plate supports the moving web below the perforated shoe.

In known needling apparatus of this type, it is not possible to provide decorations on previously needled fibrous webs, as is done, for instance, in sewing machines for quilted blankets or embroidery machines where the embroidery is applied to the finished blankets or fabrics.

lt is a primary object of this invention to provide a needling apparatus of the indicated type which makes it possible to apply to a fibrous web any desired pattern or decoration.

This and other objects are accomplished in accordance with the invention by providing a guide sleeve for the roving or slubbing which is mounted in the needle support and has an end immediately adjacent the surface of the moving non-woven fibrous web. Means is provided for holding the guide sleeve fixed in respect of the reciprocating needle support.

According to a preferred feature of the present invention, the guide sleeve is mounted on a transverse carrier, and the guide sleeve holding means maintains the carrier resiliently in a first or fixed position in respect of the reciprocating needle support and permits the carrier to be resiliently moved out of the fixed position into a second position spaced further from the moving web.

The head of the needle support may be circular or oval and the felting needles are arranged in rows on the head.

Furthermore, several of these needling devices of this invention may be mounted on a common frame which may be moved by conventional patterning mechanisms to produce desired patterns of needled rovings on the web. in this manner, various decorations or patterns may be needled onto a fibrous web in a manner not possible heretofore with needling apparatus.

The above and other objects, advantages and features of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description of one preferred embodiment thereof, taken in conjunction with the single FIGURE of the accompanying drawing showing a schematic view of a needling apparatus in axial section.

As shown in the drawing, the apparatus comprises a needle support or beam I mounted for reciprocation towards and away from a non-woven fibrous web 11 moving past the needle support and transversely thereof in the direction of arrow 18. The needle support 1 is reciprocated by means of crank shaft 2 which has a crank 3 moving connecting rod 4 upon rotation of the drive shaft 2, the connecting rod being linked at respective ends to crank 3 and carrier 5 for needle support 1. A pair of guides 6, 6 keeps the needle support in position during reciprocation thereof in the direction of the axis of the needle support, the needle support being slidably mounted in aligned bores of the guides.

A head 7 carrying a plurality of felting needles 8 projecting towards web 11 is mounted at one end of the needle support 1 adjacent the web, and a shoe 9 is mounted between the needle support head and the moving fibrous web. The shoe may be movably or fixedly supported in a known manner and is perforated to pennit the felting needles 8 to pass therethrough into the web upon downward reciprocation of the needle support.

A perforated stitch plate 10 supports the moving web 1 1 below the perforated shoe so that the felting needles may pass through the perforations in the stitch plate for needling the roving or slubbing 17 into the web.

The head 7 is preferably of circular or oval form and the felting needles 8 are arranged thereon in rows.

According to the present invention, the needle support has mounted in an axial bore thereof a guide sleeve for the roving or slubbing 17. The guide sleeve has an end immediately adjacent the surface of the moving non-woven fibrous web 11, and means is provided for holding the guide sleeve 12 fixed in respect of the reciprocating needle support. As shown, the opposite end of the guide sleeve is funnel-shaped to receive more readily the roving or slubbing 17 coming from bobbin 16.

The guide sleeve holding means illustrated herein comprises a transverse carrier 13 for the guide sleeve and maintains the carrier resiliently in a first or fixed position (shown herein) in respect of the reciprocating needle support but permits the carrier to be resiliently moved out of the fixed position into a second position spaced further from the moving web 11 whereby the funnel-shaped upper end of the guide sleeve may be brought closer to the bobbin for ready insertion of a roving or slubbing into the guide sleeve.

For this purpose, the guide sleeve holding means comprises a guide pin 14 slidably mounted in a frame 19 and fixed to an outer end of the transverse carrier 13. Two coaxial compression springs 15, 15 are mounted about the guide pin between the carrier and the frame, the carrier 13 extending between the springs and the springs being biased against the carrier in opposite directions to hold it, and the guide sleeve mounted thereon, normally fixed although the carrier with its guide sleeve may be displaced in an axial direction against the bias of either of the springs.

If it is desired to needle the roving or slubbing into the web or felt in a pattern, the apparatus is mounted conventionally in a frame which executes the required motions for providing the pattern, as is well known in sewing machines for quiltedblankets or embroidering machines. Pattern mechanisms for this purpose are also well known. Furthermore, if desired, several needling devices according to this invention may be mounted on a single patterning frame of this type. Each of the needling devices may be supplied with a roving or slubbing of,a different color to obtain varied pattern effects.

What is claimed is:

1. An apparatus for needling a roving or slubbing to a non-woven fibrous web moving transversely of the roving or slubbing, which comprises (2) a shoe mounted between the needle support head and the moving fibrous web,

downward reciprocation of the needle support; and The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a transverse carrier for the guidessleeve tee guide sleeve holding means maintaining hhe carrier resliently in a first or fixe position in rspect of the reciprocating eeedle support and permitting the carrier to be resileently moved out of the fixed position into a second position spaced further from the moving web.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the resilient guide sleeve holding means comprises a slidably mounted guide pin fixed to an outer end of the transverse carrier, and two coaxial springs biased against the carrier in opposite directions, the carrier extending (c) the shoe being perforated to permit the felting between the springs.

t i F i 

1. An ppparatu for needling roving or slubbin to a non-woven fibrous web moving transversely of the roving or slubbing, wiich copriss .. ll anneedl sppprrt mounted or reciprocation toward ad aaay foom the movingg ibrous web,pp2 a. a hea on the needl supportaadjaeent the moving web and c. the shoe being perforated to permit the felting needles to pass therethrough into the web upon downward reciprocation of the needle support; and
 2. a hho mouttedbbetween the eeedle support head ad the moving fiboous web, c.tthesshoe beingpperfrrated to permit the flltnng needles to pass herethrough intotthe webuupo dowwwardrreiiprocation of the needle support; and c. the shoe being perforated to permit the felting needles to pass therethrough into the web upon doWnward reciprocation of the needle support; and The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a transverse carrier for the guidessleeve tee guide sleeve holding means maintaining hhe carrier resliently in a first or fixe position in rspect of the reciprocating eeedle support and permitting the carrier to be resileently moved out of the fixed position into a second position spaced further from the moving web.
 2. a hho mouttedbbetween the eeedle support head ad the moving fiboous web, c.tthesshoe beingpperfrrated to permit the flltnng needles to pass herethrough intotthe webuupo dowwwardrreiiprocation of the needle support; and c. the shoe being perforated to permit the felting needles to pass therethrough into the web upon doWnward reciprocation of the needle support; and The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a transverse carrier for the guidessleeve tee guide sleeve holding means maintaining hhe carrier resliently in a first or fixe position in rspect of the reciprocating eeedle support and permitting the carrier to be resileently moved out of the fixed position into a second position spaced further from the moving web.
 3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the resilient guide sleeve holding means comprises a slidably mounted guide pin fixed to an outer end of the transverse carrier, and two coaxial springs biased against the carrier in opposite directions, the carrier extending between the springs. 